Dive Brief:
- AOL is debuting an internal creative division where it will craft branded content for clients and distribute that product across AOL's digital properties.
- The Partner Studios, as AOL is calling the in-house agency, has teamed up with Georgia-Pacific on its first client project to promote the company's brands, including Angel Soft, Brawny and Dixie.
- With its Partner Studios, AOL joins the list of publishers -- including AOL-owned Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, CNN and the New York Times -- moving from just selling ads to actually creating them.
Dive Insight:
Through the new Partner Studios and it's already-existing ad-tech division, One, AOL is able to offer advertisers both a premium ad service and an automated option. AOL is positioning itself as a "one-stop shop" for brands.
According to eMarketer, advertisers in the U.S. will spend $4.3 billion on native ads this year (a 34% increase from last year), and publishers are looking to capitalize on that surge. “We see this as that next high-growth sector in the industry,” AOL CMO Allie Kline told Ad Age about the launch.
AdAge points out that through these internal content studios, publishers are able to deepen their relationships with brands, and thus, keep them coming back to purchase more ads.
